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Stylist and certified color specialist Deanna believes color treatments should do more than change the hair?s appearance; they should improve hair overall. After 12 years and multiple color classes, she has become certified in Scruples hair-color techniques, which are designed to get hair glowing with vibrant reds, brunettes, and blondes while infusing strands with silicone conditioners and safeguarding hair against sunlight by absorbing UV rays. In addition to her high-end hair services, Deanna also primps nails with mani-pedis and artificial nail applications.

Clipping, filing, and buffing nails are just the beginning of the mani-pedi experience at Kowalski's Polish. The real treat is watching the nail technicians turn their service into an art, painting everything from animal prints to bumblebees and piano keys on canvases of keratin. Digits are further enhanced with a pinch of glitter, or 3-D embellishments such as miniature gold balls or Avatar finger puppets.

The nail technicians at Bay’s Nail Spa pamper finger shingles with mani-pedis that take place in hardwood-floored salon with four cushioned pedicure chairs complete with footbaths. During a Shellac manicure, coats of the durable formula bathe under UV light so they have the strength to resist chipping even if struck by a folding chair during a thumb-wrestling match. The basic manicure instead layers fingernails with vibrant shades of classic polish, tinting freshly groomed and shaped digit tips with eye-catching color over the course of 35 minutes.

Seated in one of Allure Salon & Spa's plush salon chairs, visitors look out over the bubbling brooks of the Milwaukee River as skilled stylists and aestheticians tend to their hair and complexions with a long list of beautifying services. Swathed in earth tones and adorned with rustic accents—from redbrick walls to wooden cabinets that hold the aestheticians’ very own additive-free products—the upscale salon attempts to capture the peacefulness of the river outside with exfoliating facials, soothing aromatherapy massages, and rejuvenating body treatments. Stylists design hair for men, women, and children, coloring or highlighting longer strands before arranging them into shapes inspired by the bold, fin-like structure of the nearby Milwaukee Art Museum.

Aesthetician Sara Bohlmann has many tools at her disposal for making skin look its best, from the Image skincare products she uses to create custom facials to the cosmetics she applies during special-occasion makeup sessions. Sara often follows facials with advice on maintaining a proper skincare routine, a practice that helps clients get the most out of Sara's services and stops them from removing their makeup with paint thinner. Sara's successful practices have been noticed by Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee 2012 as she was nominated "Best Aesthetician" in the online publication's medical category.

The team at Roots Salon beautifies clients from head to toe with a full slate of services. Stylists revamp manes with trendy cuts and color, as well as add instant length with hair extensions. Inside private rooms, aestheticians tailor treatments to clients? skin concerns?reducing sun damage with chemical peels and boosting collagen with phyto-stem technology. Soreness melts away beneath soothing massage kneads, and complexions are quickly enhanced with waxing treatments and makeup applications.